Borders derby among seven Arnold Clark Premiership rugby matches to be screened live by BBC Alba next season

A Borders derby will be among seven Arnold Clark Premiership rugby matches being screened live by BBC Alba next season.

Melrose hosting Selkirk on Friday, January 16 next year, with kick-off at 7.35pm, is one of four regular-season matches being televised by the BBC this side of the border, along with all three play-offs – semi finals on Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, with kick-offs at 7.35pm and 4.45pm respectively, and 2026’s final on Saturday, March 21, at 4.10pm.

Selkirk players celebrating at full-time after their 24-22 win at Melrose last September in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

placeholder image — Selkirk players celebrating at full-time after their 24-22 win at Melrose last September in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

The corresponding fixture last season, a Border League double-header that time round, saw head coach Gordon Henderson’s Souters leave the Greenyards with five points at the end of last September after snatching a 24-22 win right at the death.

Touching down for the visitors were scrum-half Hugo Alderson at the double, full-back Callum Anderson and right-winger Josh Welsh, with Alderson adding two conversions.

Melrose’s Elliot Ruthven, front left, and Selkirk’s Corey Tait, front right, at a photoshoot to launch the coming Arnold Clark Premiership rugby season at Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians’ Braidholm ground earlier this month (Photo: Ross MacDonald/SNS Group/SRU)

Co-head coaches Scott Wight and Iain Chisholm’s hosts’ tries were scored by hooker Logan Kirk, blindside flanker Will Ferrie and replacement Jack Dobie, with inside-centre Roly Brett adding a penalty and two conversions.

All three other pre-play-off games confirmed as being screened live by the Beeb feature Borders sides, including a second appearance for Selkirk seven weeks prior, away to Watsonians at Edinburgh’s Myreside Stadium on Friday, November 28, and they’re all 7.35pm kick-offs too.

The two remaining BBC picks are Hawick hosting Currie Chieftains at Mansfield Park on Friday, October 10, and Kelso hitting the road to the capital’s Malleny Park to take on Currie on Friday, February 6.

Those games can also be viewed live and on demand via BBC iPlayer, BBC Alba’s YouTube channel and a dedicated BBC rugby page.

Another seven games are being screened live, including five women’s matches on BBC Alba and two further men’s premiership fixtures on Scottish Rugby’s YouTube channel.

Scottish Rugby’s director of rugby development, Gav Scott, is glad to see the sport being given a wider audience, saying: “I’m thrilled about the way the team have gone about selecting the fixtures alongside BBC Alba.

“I think we’ve ended up with a really fair spread across the board.

“Partnerships like this one with BBC Alba are critical to exposing new audiences to grass-roots rugby and to give a platform to our top-performing community rugby players.”